The Times reports that an American soldier says he released the photos to the newspaper to draw attention to the safety risk of a breakdown in leadership and discipline.

Times' staff writer David Zucchino reports that the newspaper was provided with 18 similar photos of soldiers posing with corpses.

Update at 9:04 a.m. ET: The Times reports that the Pentagon declined its request that Army officials get in touch with all active-duty soldiers in the photos to give them a chance to comment. The Times says it also asked for comment by e-mail and Facebook to seven soldiers in the photos. The newspaper says one of them, now serving in Afghanistan, declined to comment and the others did not respond.

Original posting: The Times says the incident occurred when U.S. paratroopers were sent to check out reports that Afghan police had recovered the mangled remains of an insurgent suicide bomber in Afghanistan's Zabol province in February 2010.

The mission by the soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division was to get iris scans and fingerprints for identification.

Here's how the Times describes what happened:

They inspected the body parts. Then the mission turned macabre: The paratroopers posed for photos next to Afghan police, grinning while some held — and others squatted beside — the corpse's severed legs.

The newspaper says a similar incident with the same platoon occurred a few months later, with soldiers grinning and mugging for photographs.

The Times quotes Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby as saying the Pentagon has "taken the necessary precautions to protect our troops in the event of any backlash."

According to CNN, the ISAF statement says the incident, "represents a serious error in judgment by several soldiers who have acted out of ignorance and unfamiliarity with U.S. Army values."

In Kabul, U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker issued a statement saying that such actions are "morally repugnant, dishonor the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of U.S. soldiers and civilians who have served with distinction in Afghanistan, and do not represent the core values of the United States or our military."

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About Doug Stanglin

Doug is an unrepentant news junkie who loves breaking news and has been known to watch C-SPAN even on vacation. He has covered a wide range of domestic and international news stories, from prison riots in Oklahoma to the Moscow coup against Mikhail Gorbachev. Doug previously served as foreign editor at USA TODAY. More about Doug

About Michael Winter

Michael Winter has been a daily contributor to On Deadline since its debut in January 2006. His journalism career began in the prehistoric Ink Era, and he was an early adapter at the dawn of the Digital Age. His varied experience includes editing at the San Jose Mercury News and The Philadelphia Inquirer.